preview

The Story of an Hour

Decent Essays

The exploration of symbolism and irony in “The Story of an Hour”, is apparent for the reader to establish. Irony being the opposite of what is intended; Having 3 types of irony they are divided by verbal, dramatic, and situational. Symbolism is any object, person, place, or experience that represents more than what it is. The Story of an Hour is based off of a sickly wife who briefly believes that her husband is dead and imagines a whole new life of freedom for her, only to later be devastated by his reappearance causing her to die of the joy that kills, or so it was proclaimed. In “The Story of an Hour” there are various ironic and symbolic references that can be found, all of them having a significant impact on Louise Mallard’s exotic view of her husband’s death. Louise Mallard is first labeled as a woman with heart problems, more of a soft hearted woman who is incapable to take in heavy issues lightly. This comes into play when the people that are going to tell her worry on how she is going to take the news of her husband’s death. This accusation also comes into play when she is proclaimed of dying by the joy that kills, on the contrary it was only an overwhelming of her dreams being crushed by her husband actually being alive. Her “Victory” was achieved by her husband’s death which allowed a creeping thought into her head to run loose giving her the misconception that she was going to be free from her husband, or free from the burden of the duties and

Get Access